Piano keyboard chart



Jan. 28, 1936 R. A. SHANNON PIANO KEYBOARD CHART Filed July 5, 1932 f g Xfly/NVENTOR BY Wm M v z v1! JTTOR/V/jy fY/ZZ gss Mum 1 @ZLM Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIANO KEYBOARD CHART Bay A. Shannon, Kansas City, Mo.

Application July 5, 1932, Serial No. 620,865

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in piano key board charts.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a novel chart for use on a piano key board which will enable a novice in music, who is taking singing lessons, and who has a very limited knowledge of piano playing to easily and readily transpose exercises to any key and play the same on the piano; to readily and correctly play upon the piano the chromatic and major diatonic scales or exercises in any key and to at the same time sing the notes thereof with the use of their solfeggio or numerical names; and to instantly determine the interval between any two notes in the scale at any key.

My invention provides further, a novel piano key board chart which can be easily and quickly adjusted to any desired position upon the key board, and which will be securely retained in the positions to which it may be adjusted.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing. which illustrates the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of my improved chart shown in operative position upon a piano key board, a portion of the key board and the piano case being shown.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my improved chart having inscribed on one side thereof sets of characters representing the solieggio names and the interval values of the notes of the chromatic scale arranged respectively in defined spaces corresponding in width and relative position to the keys with which they are adapted to register on the piano key board.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing one side of my improved chart provided with characters representing the numerical and solfeggio names of the notes, of an exercise, disposed respectively in defined spaces corresponding in position to the piano keys with which they are adapted to register.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the different views.

My improved chart comprises a member, preferably having a V shaped channel form, and composed of a suitable material having considerable resiliency, as card board or celluloid.

The two sides I and 2 of the chart are adapted to be pressed toward each other, so as to be inserted between and to bear against with considerable pressure the black keys 3 the portion a of the front wall of the piano case, with the longitudinal edges of the side portions 5 and 2 resting upon the white keys 5, as shown in Fig. l. v

The chart, so disposed wholly at the rear of the black keys, is adapted to be easily longitudinally, without lifting, to any desired position upon the piano key board.

Upon the outer side of the side portion I of the chart are upright lines 6 which are parallel and cooperate with the left end edge of the side portion I to form defined spaces which correspond in width respectively to the piano keys with which 5 they are adapted to register. Said spaces, thirteen in number, have respectively thereon characters representing the solfeggio names of the notes of the chromatic scale disposed in the order in which said notes occur in said scale, the first, 10 or left end space having inscribed thereon the solfeggio name do.

The solfeggio names of the notes of the major diatonic scale are disposed in a horizontal row just above black upright wide lines eight in number and respectively representing said notes, and extending upwardly, in the spaces representing said notes, from the lower edge of the portion l of the chart.

The black lines direct the singer what keys to strike when singing and playing the major diatonic scale in any key.

Numerals l to 8 inclusive, representing the numerical names respectively of the notes of the major diatonic scale, are disposed in a horizontal row just above the row of solfeggio names of said notes, to enable the singer, while playing, to sing the notes of such scale with the use of the numerical instead of the solfeggio names, if it is so desired.

In the second, fourth, seventh, ninth and eleventh spaces, numbering from the left end of the chart, are respectively inscribed, in a horizontal row just above the row of numerical names, just above referred to, the solfeggio names, on a rising scale, of the half step notesdi, ri, fi, sil and ii. Arrows 8 at the respective ends of the row point to the right, thus indicating a rising scale for these notes.

In said spaces, just referred to, arranged in a horizontal row and above the row indicated by the arrows 8, are respectively inscribed the solfeggio names of half step notes when sung in the descending scale. Thus,reading from the right toward the left-te, 1e, se, me, and"rah.

In the twelve spaces at the right of the first space at the left, which represents the note do, are respectively inscribed characters representing the interval values of the major and half step notes, represented by said spaces, relatively to the note do.

Said twelve characters are 2, d3, ((31)) 1:4) ud5n 5:: d6, 61:, d7, 7:; and ms)! The d in the spaces representing the half step notes is the abbreviation of the word diminished.

If the chromatic scale is to be sung and played in the key of C, the chart is disposed, as shown in Fig. 1, with the first space do in register with the piano key C. If the scale is to be played and sung in another key, the chart is shifted to a position in which the first space do will register with the piano key corresponding to the key of the scale to be played.

Thus, if the scale is to be played in C sharp, the chart is disposed with the first do space in register with the black C sharp key.

If the major diatonic scale is to be played and sung, the chart is disposed in a position in which the first do spacewill register with the piano key corresponding to the key of the scale desired, and the operator strikes the keys which respectively register with the wide black lines I.

The operator in playing the'scale or an exercise in any key can, by means of the solfeggio inscriptions in the defined spaces, determine the names of the notes to be sung and attune his voice to correspond to the tones produced by the striking of the piano keys corresponding to such notes in such key.

In the chromatic ascending scale, he will pronounce the names of the notes in the row of characters alined with the arrows 8, and in the chromatic descending scale, he will pronounce the names of the notes in the row of characters next above, at the ends of which row are inscribed respectively arrows 9 pointing to the left.

By observing the characters in the uppermost row, he can at a glance determine the interval between any two notes.

As shown in Fig. 3, the outer side of the portion 2 of the chart may be inscribed with defined spaces and solfeggio characters corresponding to notes of an exercise to be played. In Fig. 3 are provided upright lines 6 forming defined spaces in which are respectively inscribed the solfeggio names do, mi, sol and do, and also the numerical names 1, 3, and 8 of the notes to be sung and played. Respectively in said spaces are the wide black lines 1, which indicate the keys of the piano to be struck. Said spaces are relatively disposed on the chart, as are those to which they correspond on the portion I of the chart shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In playing and singing the exercise, shown in Fig. 3, the chart is disposed with the first space do, at the left, in register with the key of the piano corresponding to the key of the scale in which the exercise is to be sung.

The marks '5 will direct the operator what piano keys to strike, and he will be directed by the characters in the defined spaces as to what notes to pronounce when singing the exercise.

The exercise shown in Fig. 3 is merely illustrative. With the use of the chart having there on the solfeggio and numerical names of the notes to be used, and with such names of the notes to be sung disposed respectively in defined spaces corresponding in width to the piano keys with which they register, many different exercises provided on my improved charts, may be sung and correctly played bya beginner having very limited knowledge of or experience in piano playing, and he will be able to readily transpose such exercises to any key. 1

,I donot limit my invention to the structure shown and described, as many modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may

be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:-

1. A piano key board chart comprising a resilient sheet member having two portions normally diverging at an acute angle requiring their compression toward each other for insertidn between and to have pressing engagement respectively with the front wall of the piano case and the black keys of the piano, said member 7 being adapted for support on its longitudinal edges on the white keys, the outer side of one of said portions having defined spaces corresponding in width and number with the keys of an octave on the piano key board, said spaces having thereon respectively the names of all the notes of the chromatic scale arranged in the order in which they appear in said scale, said member being adjustable longitudinally on the key board to and held by the black keys under tension in positions in which any one of said spaces will register with any one of the keys in an octave.

2. A piano key board chart comprising a resilient sheet member having two portions normally diverging at an acute angle requiring their compression toward each other for insertion between and to have pressing engagement respectively with the front wall of the piano case and the black keys of the piano, said member being adapted for support on its longitudinal edges on the white keys, the outer side of one of said portions having defined spaces corresponding in width and number with the keys of an octave on the piano key board, said spaces having thereon respectively the names of all of the notes of the chromatic scale arranged in the order in which they appear in said scale, said spaces to the right of the left space having thereon respectively characters representing the intervals between the notes of all of said last named spaces and the note of said left space, said member being adjustable to and held by the black keys under tension in positions on the key board in which any one of said spaces will register with any one of the keys in an octave.

3. A piano key board chart comprising a resilient sheet member having two portions nor.- mally diverging at an acute angle requiring their compression toward each other for insertion between and to have pressing engagement respectively with the front wall of the piano case and the black keys of the piano, said member being adapted for support on its longitudinal edges on the white keys, the outer side of one of said portions having defined spaces corresponding in width and number with the keys of an octave on the piano key board, said spaces having thereon respectively the solfeggio names of all of the notes of the chromatic scale in the order in which they appear in said scale, the solfeggid names of the notes in the ascending and descending scales being in two longitudinal rows, said member having thereon means designating the directions in which to read the names of the notes in the ascending and descending scales respectively, said member being adjustable to and held by the black keys under tension in positions on the key board in which any one of said spaces will register with any one of the keys in an octave.

RAY A. SHANNON. 

